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Adaptations

Lesson Plan

Adaptations

Objectives

In this lesson, students learn that adaptations increase organisms’ chances to survive and reproduce. They read about adaptations in desert plants. Then, they conduct a lab activity that simulates how adaptations affect survival. Students will:

  • differentiate between structural and behavioral adaptations.
  • explain how adaptations can increase organisms’ chances of survival and reproduction.

Essential Questions

Vocabulary

  • Adaptation: A change in an organism over time that helps it to survive in its environment.
  • Behavioral Adaptation: A change in the way an organism responds to its environment over time that increases its chances to survive and reproduce.
  • Characteristic: Trait or feature of an organism.
  • Species: A group of organisms that share many characteristics and are able to mate with each other and produce offspring.
  • Structural Adaptation: A change in the body structure of an organism over time that increases its chances to survive and reproduce.

Duration

90–135 minutes/2–3 class periods

Prerequisite Skills

Prerequisite Skills haven't been entered into the lesson plan.

Materials

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Related Materials & Resources

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Formative Assessment

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    • Collect and check students’ summaries or lists of adaptations from the plant adaptations article.
    • Collect students’ notes on desert plant adaptations.
    • Circulate around the room during the lab activity to assess student understanding by asking questions related to the activity.
    • Collect and check the Planet Z Adaptations Lab worksheet.

Suggested Instructional Supports

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    Scaffolding, Active Engagement, Modeling, Explicit Instruction
    W: In this lesson on adaptations, students learn about adaptations in plants and animals through direct instruction and reading articles. They also conduct a lab activity that serves as a simulation of how adaptations affect survival.
    H: At the beginning of the lesson, students do a think-pair-share activity on adaptations of familiar Pennsylvania animals.
    E: The lesson involves students listening to explicit instruction, reading and discussing articles about adaptations, and conducting a lab activity in cooperative groups.
    R: Students rethink the adaptations of organisms in the PowerPoint presentation as they describe adaptations that were not included in it. Students answer post-lab questions that apply to the concepts in the lesson.
    E: Students express their understanding through the think-pair-share activity, whole-class discussion, and small-group work during the lab.
    T: Two articles at different reading levels are provided in this lesson. Students who need extra support may benefit from pre- and post-reading activities such as circling unfamiliar terms and concepts and summarizing each paragraph of the article. Challenge students who are working beyond the standards by having them create a game that simulates how camouflage helps animals survive.
    O: The lesson begins with a brief introduction and a brainstorming session. Then, students learn about specific examples by reading about adaptations in desert plants and watching a PowerPoint presentation on reproductive adaptations. To reinforce concepts from the first part of the lesson, students take part in a lab activity that simulates how human adaptations to different environments can help them survive.

Instructional Procedures

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    Part 1

    Define adaptation and describe some structural and behavioral adaptations of different species.

    Conduct a think-pair-share discussion on the question, “What kinds of adaptations help animals in Pennsylvania to survive and reproduce in their environment?” Allow students a few minutes to think, a few minutes to discuss with a partner, and then share with the class. If necessary, prompt students with several examples, such as white-tailed deer and copperhead snake.

    Have students read an article about desert plant adaptations:

    After they read the article, have students either write a summary of the article or create a list of the types of desert plant adaptations from the article.

    Optionally, use a projector to share the Reproductive Adaptations of Living Things PowerPoint presentation (S-8-2-3_Reproductive Adaptations of Living Things PPT.ppt). After each type of organism, ask students to describe additional adaptations (not in the PowerPoint) for some of the organisms in the presentation.

    Note: The presentation is quite long; you can modify the length to fit your class.

    Part 2

    Prior to instructing students for the Planet Z Adaptations Lab, it may be helpful to play a round of the game by yourself to get a feel for how it works.

    Place students in groups of three. Hand out a copy of the Planet Z Adaptations Lab to each group (S-8-2-3_Planet Z Adaptations Lab and KEY.doc). Have students read the procedure and look over the Energy Points Table. Then ask, “Why do the hunters score the most points in a cold environment?” and “Why do the fishers score the least points in a cold environment?”

    After groups have finished the procedure, have them share their results by recording their scores and habitats on the board. Discuss the optimal environmental conditions for each type of “family.”

    Extension:

    • For students who require extra support, have them skim and circle unfamiliar concepts and terms before they read the article. Explain any questions about concepts before students take notes.
    • Show students pictures of animals that are familiar to them and talk with them about how the animals’ coloring and other traits are adaptations.

    For students who are working beyond the standards, have them design a game that shows effectiveness of camouflage for a prey species. Have them write down the steps of the game.

Related Instructional Videos

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DRAFT 05/13/2011
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